Franklin Borough's median house dates to 1955, and four in ten went up before 1940. A brick chimney that old, venting oil or wood smoke through Sussex County winters, can wear past the point where new mortar holds. Then the top comes down to solid brick.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney rebuilds brick chimneys on houses across Sussex County, NJ, including Franklin, Newton, Andover Borough and Sandyston. Many chimneys here are decades old and still vent oil boilers or wood stoves. When the top courses are loose and the crown is split, we take the stack down to sound brick and rebuild it. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
The oldest housing in Sussex County is in its boroughs and in Newton. Franklin Borough's median house is from 1955, Andover Borough's from 1954, and Sussex Borough's and Branchville's from 1948. In Newton, 37 percent of homes predate 1940. A chimney from those years has come through a long run of hard winters, and the courses above the roof take the worst of each.
Many of those chimneys still have a job. Two homes in three in Andover Borough heat with oil, and half in Franklin Borough. Out in Sandyston, 17 percent of homes burn wood, the highest share in the county. Oil soot, wood creosote and the moisture both carry all end up in the flue and in the mortar near the top.
Repointing needs firm brick around the joint. Once the top courses rock and the crown has cracked clear across, that is gone, and the lasting fix is to take the stack down to sound brick and rebuild it. The flue gets a close look while it is open.
We decide rebuild or repair standing at the top of the chimney. The photos show you exactly where the solid brick begins.
A rebuild costs more than repointing. We only price one when the brick above the roof can no longer hold new mortar.
Plenty of old chimneys only need the joints repointed or a new crown. If that will last, it is what we price. Chimney repair in Sussex County
Here age does the damage. Close to half the homes in Sussex Borough and Branchville were built before 1940, and the brick and mortar at the top of those chimneys have weathered every winter since. A two-story house means a tall stack and more setup. In Newton's historic district, the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission reviews exterior work, so we check with the town first.
The houses are mostly newer, but the chimneys work harder. Wood heats 17 percent of homes in Sandyston and 8 percent in Stillwater and Green, and oil about half or more in all five of these towns. A flue that vents a stove or a boiler every heating season wears from the inside, and the damage shows at the top first.
If the brick is sound and the leak is at the flashing, that is roof work. Roof repair in Sussex County
How long it takes depends on how far down the stack has to come. All seven steps are on the chimney rebuilding page.
We get up to the top when it is safe to and photograph the brick, crown, cap, flue and flashing. You see how far the damage goes before we talk about price.
How far down we expect to go, what goes back up and the price, on paper. Any permit goes on it too.
We take the chimney apart brick by brick until we reach solid masonry. With the stack open, we check the liner and the framing and show you what we find.
New brick and mortar go up course by course, with a new crown, cap and flashing. Then we haul the old brick away and go over the photos with you.
It depends on your town. Rebuilding a chimney is not on New Jersey's list of ordinary maintenance or minor work, so the construction office in your town decides what paperwork it needs. Newton has a historic district, where the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission reviews exterior work, though in-kind roof and siding repair does not need its review. We check with your town before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
If it is in Sussex County, yes. We cover all 24 municipalities, from Andover to Wantage. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
The town decides, and we ask before we start. Chimney rebuilding is not on either state list of work exempt from permits, so the local construction office makes the call. Any permit it requires is on your estimate before a brick comes down.
Yes, with Newton involved. The Historic Preservation Advisory Commission reviews exterior work in the historic district. Its exemption is for in-kind roof and siding repair, so we do not assume it covers a chimney. We check with the town first and give you photos and the estimate for any review.
Yes. With the stack open, it is the easiest time to see it. Wood smoke leaves creosote in the flue, and a cracked liner lets heat and moisture into the brick. Whatever we see in the flue is in the photos, and any liner work is priced on the same estimate.
It depends on how tall the stack is, how far down it has to come, and what the flue needs. A tall chimney on a two-story house in Franklin is more work than a short one on a lake cottage. We do not quote over the phone. You get the price in writing once we have seen the top of the stack.
Send us your town and a few words about the chimney. We call you back shortly, go up and look at it at no charge, and send you the photos with a written price. If new mortar will hold, you get a repair price instead.
Or call 732-682-9251
